Director Mahmoud Sabbagh's Saudi feature film Barakah Meets Barakah is taking part in the annual Goethe Film Week, organized by the Goethe-Institut. The film will be screened in four Egyptian governorates: in Minya, at the Alwanat Cultural Centre, on Thursday, the 1st of June; in Ismailia, at Egypt Public Library, on Tuesday, the 13th of June; in Damanhur, at the R7abaya Co-working Space, on Wednesday, the 21st of June; and in Aswan, at the Fekra Cultural Center, on Thursday, the 21st of September.

Goethe Film Week screens a new collection of contemporary German films, both features and documentaries, and organizes special premieres and screenings for Egyptian films in Egypt. This year, it will also discuss topics such as immigration, asylum, and the definition of a homeland, revolutions, wars, family and women in society. All of these topics and others will be discussed with filmmakers, experts and the audience.

Barakah Meets Barakah tells the story of two lovers who are united in an environment hostile to dating of any kind. He is Barakah, the municipal civil servant from Jeddah, who is also an amateur actor in a theatrical troupe. She is Barakah, a wild beauty, who functions as a crowd-puller for her stylish mother's boutique and runs her own widely-seen vlog. They both defy customs and traditions, as well as the religious police, using modern communication technologies and traditional dating methods.

Produced by El Housh Productions, Barakah Meets Barakah stars Hisham Fageeh, Fatima Al Banawi, Sami Hifny, Abdulmajeed Alruhaidi and Khairia Nazmi. The film is written and directed by Mahmoud Sabbagh. MAD Solutions, alongside Film Clinic-Indie Distribution (FCID), acquired the Arab world distribution rights to the film.

Barakah Meets Barakah was Saudi Arabia's official submission to the 2017 Academy Awards. The film received a Certificate of Appreciation at the Prospects of Arab Cinema (PAC) programme within the 38th Cairo International Film Festival. The film also took part in the 27th Carthage Film Festival (JCC) and was selected by the 60th BFI London Film Festival (5 - 16 October), run by the British Film Institute (BFI), to compete within the Laugh Gala. Moreover, the film has also been selected to compete in the Special Presentations section at the 41st Toronto International Film Festival following its world premiere at the 66th Berlinale where it won the Ecumenical Jury Prize in the Forum section.

Screening Times of Saudi film Barakah Meets Barakah at the Goethe Film Week
Thursday, the 1st of June, at 05:00 pm at the Alwanat Cultural Centre in Minya
Tuesday, the 13th of June, at 05:00 pm at the Egypt Public Library in Ismailia
Wednesday, the 21st of June, at 05:00 pm at the R7abaya Co-working Space in Damanhur
Thursday, the 21st of September, at the Fekra Cultural Centre in Aswan